Remnants of Amaranthine
by AzureBluePhoenix
Summary: RSxEM. An abstract story about transgressing emotions and memories that connect one with what they call reality. Slight AU with a canon-style twist. "All I heard was the loud sound of a discarded body crashing into the marble floor and the riveting crack of a broken frame as it crumbled... ...emotions of dread and agony clouded the world, before everything was dyed to black."


Remnants of Amaranthine

For my 'childhood friend' and strong guild leader, Blue.

* * *

All I heard was the loud sound of a discarded body crashing into the marble floor and the riveting crack of a broken frame as it crumbled. Panic filled my body and time stood still in despair. Cold sweat trickled down the side of my face and tickled my palm with frozen fear. My vision began to blur and senses began to numb. The last thing I remembered was the shadow of a man and the bursts of emotions of dread and agony clouding the world, before everything was dyed to black.

* * *

A soundless scream escaped my lips as I felt my body rise in fear. I could hear myself breathing hastily, and feel my dried mouth crack in sharp pain with each breath. My eyes focused slowly to the white blankets illuminated by the glow creeping in from my window. The white mess was strewn and thrown about, probably from my night horrors. I could feel remains of the cold, sticky sweat as my hair stuck uncomfortably to my face. As sense returned, the loud ringing of my alarm could be heard reaching out from within the silence. Taking my last uneasy breath, I pushed my limbs and grabbed the purple cellphone sitting by my bed and turned off the arrogant sounds, returning my room back into peaceful silence.

I sat there in silence, trying to regain the hazy blur of a dream. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. My hand made its way up to my neck, desperately grasping onto a dark purple pendant, shaped in the form of a phoenix, with a hole bore through the middle. But all my efforts resulted in merely a panging headache that resounded within my skull. I shook my head lightly, sighing as I gave up. The pain subsided and sweating stopped before I rose from my bed, blanket fallen onto the cold hardwood floor, and made my way slowly to the bathroom.

"Today is Tuesday…" my lips moved mechanically and my voice came out rasp. "I… have math class in the morning…"

...

"A~i~sha~!" The usual singsong voice entered the noisy classroom. I smiled to myself once I heard the familiar voice and moved my head towards the source. The usual energetic smile greeted me as Rena bounced towards my direction, one hand up waving animatedly, followed by the quiet Eve, sighing lightly.

I smiled back, feeling a sense of odd nostalgia as the two approached. Raising a hand to greet them, my mouth naturally opened and words flowed out. "Good morning, Rena, Eve!"

Just as I finished, Rena jumped at me, hands outstretched for a warm embrace. I could feel her warm, soft skin and ticklish, long hair as I smiled in her arms, feeling the natural flow of our friendship connect with light embarrassment. Eve trailed behind her, stopping close to us to give me a small smile and nod. Her hair, tied into two neat buns, bobbed lightly as she nodded, loose strands of long hair waved with her frame.

When Rena finally released me, I backed up into my desk and straightened my hair, retying it into two long halves. I turned away from the two, slightly embarrassed by Rena's friendliness. The sun shone brightly from the windows, caressing me in its warmth. I closed my eyes and stretched; the worries and fear from the morning dissipating as quickly as it came.

"Awww, it's so pretty…!" My eyes shot open at the words, confused. I tilted my head back to meet Rena's admiring gaze as her eyes shone with playful delight.

Eve, with matching curiosity, pointed straight at me, mouth slightly ajar. "It's… Red…"

I followed her gaze down to the necklace resting peacefully around my neck. The pendant shimmered in the light, reflecting a surprisingly crimson glow. I felt my eyes widen lightly as the once purple pendant changed colors so mysteriously under the light. Without much thought, I felt my hand reach up to touch the pendant and verify its existence.

As my hands met the warm metal, I felt a warping sensation. Images, fast and blurred flew by my eyes and voices, drowned but distinct bubbled in my ears. Images of crimson flashed and disappeared, and the familiar silhouette of _him_ began to burn itself into my eyes. I felt my body fall backwards as my hands reached up to cover the pain, like lightning strikes. I felt the deepest, darkest emotions surface as my body fell into a silent sadness.

It wasn't until I felt Rena's arms support me that I came into a realization that my mouth was wide ajar but the wordless screams failed to escape it. The pain quickly subsided and the images cleared the way back to the bright, noisy classroom. The mundane chatter of students resurfaced and the dark emotions buried themselves once again. The concerned voices of my two best friends overlapped the sea of voices and my consciousness returned to my reality.

"Aisha..?"

"You alright..?

My two friends looked back at me, with pale cheeks and worried eyes. I shook my head and stood back up, heart still racing but mind calmer now. What happened… I wasn't sure, but I hurriedly replied to them, "I'm alright… sorry…"

I'm scared. My heart raced with an odd sense of excitement and fear while my hands, hidden behind me, shook uncontrollably. I swallowed, feeling my dry throat scratch like this morning. I felt a premonition, a type of fear I could not explain… but my very being felt like It was being cracked and my sense of reality shifting beneath me.

Before My mind distorted further, the teacher stepped into the room, greeting us and urging us to sit. I flashed my friends a quick, reassuring smile, before I shuffled into my seat and reached for my bag. I buried my fear and anxiety deep into my mind and brought my senses back to reality. With one last glance at the necklace resting, unmoving, my eyes traced themselves back to the front of the class.

...

I heard the loud crack as the liquid gushed into my mouth. The sweet flavour of a fresh red apple soothed my throat as it drained down into my stomach. My lips curled into a smile as I enjoyed the fresh liquid, quietly eating away at the crimson fruit.

Rena giggled and slapped me in the back lightly. "It looked like you haven't eaten in DAYS!" She joked, poking at her own sandwich resting on her lap. Eve, who sat on the other side of me silently chewed on her lunch. The beautiful sunshine embraced the three of us in warmth and light as we sat, joking and laughing lightly to each other. I watched as a leaf fell, drifting gently in the warm wind above us. It was already mid-spring, and the peaceful nature that surrounded us made me feel strangely at ease.

Just as I was about to take another bite, I felt a pull on my back. My body moved effortlessly and eyes wandered to the source, attracted like metal to magnet. Behind a pillar a ways away, stood a young man with crimson hair and matching eyes. His uniform was spotless and free of wrinkles, and hair tied neatly. He watched us silently, quiet and unmoving. I shook under his gaze, confused and afraid, yet calm and unnerved.

"Oh, it's Elsword." Rena smiled at him, waving energetically. I staggered for a second, the name registering and my brain snapped. "Did you promise to meet him today for lunch? You two always spend your free time together, after all." A small, sharp pain pierced me, like an arrow, and faded just as quickly as it came.

_Right. Elsword. _I gave Rena a crooked smile. I felt like I awakened from a dream as memories flood my brain and the feeling of nostalgia and comfort returned. _Childhood friend. Age 16. Close friends with Rena, Eve, Raven, Chung and I. _

I mentally slapped myself for even forgetting for one second who Elsword was. I shook my head and a smile replaced my previous fearful frown. With the same energy, I started waving at him too. "What are you doing there, Elsword?! Come here!"

Elsword sighed lightly, bringing his fist up to his chest. His grip tightened before he turned his back to us and paced back into the school, wordless. I folded my arms and pouted, angry and upset at his reaction. "What is with that Elsword?!" I spat, stomping my foot into the dirt.

"You two are close…" Eve monitored, while bringing her sandwich up to her mouth. Rena gave a loud laugh before sitting back down and continuing on her own lunch. I glanced over at Eve before sitting back down as well, apple in hand. "He gave that to you, right..?" She pointed straight at the phoenix sitting above my chest.

I reached up, hesitating lightly, before gripping the red phoenix in my hands, smiling softly. _Right. He did._

…_But why…?_

I felt my head began to ache as I attempted to resurface the old memories. I groaned loudly, feeling my head split in two. The apple fell silently, dropping into the grass under us. The red color stood out from the light green like fire in a field, almost beckoning me. Sounds melted and visions blurred as I felt my body fall, towards the shining crimson.

* * *

The person smiled, face lightly red with embarrassment and joy. I held out my hand for that person, who took it. The metal weighing down my hand lifted as the hand returned. The white sleeve brushed my black glove, slithering away from my grasp. The instance our hands had touched my heart raced and bloomed with unbelievable joy. That person brought the gift into the light and smiled widely as purple transcended into red, glistening in celebration with that person's beautiful features. I could only stare in awe; both the beauty of the light and that person overwhelmed me.

Mouths slowly moved, speaking with a bright smile. I felt my own mouth shape into soundless words before I walked up and the two of us embraced under the light.

That strong warmth surrounded me with agonizing bliss until everything dyed to black once again.

* * *

When my eyes finally focused to the bright light, all I saw was white. The ceiling, the blankets, the walls… Everything was a painful white. My eyes trailed over to the figure standing before me, blocking the ceiling lights. My throat felt dry and body tired.

"E…Elsword…" I croaked, surprised to hear my own voice after such a long period of silence. He smiled weakly down at me… that familiar smile… and placed his large hand on my forehead. I closed my eyes, feeling his warmth so close. The blending of heat felt so familiar yet so far away.

"…" His hand didn't leave, but shook lightly. "Aisha…"

As I drifted back into quiet sleep, I could hear a mumble of a whisper lulling me to rest. "…ease… ….ome ba….. …sha…."

...

We were childhood friends. When we moved here, I was two years old. He lived next door. We grew up together and went to school together. We took the same classes, and ended up with the same options. We used to laugh and talk a lot together. I used to tease and yell at him, while he used to be more child-like, shouting and running all the time. I used to hit him all the time with my pencil case and he would always yell back at me… calling me violent, telling me I'm not cute. But eventually, our feelings blossomed into something else altogether. He gave me this necklace… saying that it represented our bond. It was made with a special alloy, and he had Eve help him construct it… but the middle… had… it had…

...

"Eve!" Once I spot her bobbing white hair buns, I knew it was Eve. I raised my arm into the sky and ran towards her, huffing along the way. My heart raced, excitement and insecurity coursed through my body.

Eve turned around and gave me her usual, kind smile. She tilted her head lightly and greeted me. The loose hair waved lightly in the wind, completing her elegant frame. "Good morning, Aisha. You're early for school for once."

"Eve…" I panted lightly, finally reaching her. "You didn't… have to say 'for once'…" I straightened myself up and smiled at her as she giggled. "Um… Eve, I wanted to ask you something…" I trailed off, fingering the necklace as I thought up the next lines to ask her.

Eve merely tilted her head, slightly confused.

"That is…" I looked back at her unsurely before asking, "This necklace… You made it for Elsword, right?" My eyes shifted between her and the bustling students behind her entering the school grounds.

"Affirmative." Eve nodded. "Elsword asked me to aid him in constructing a present for you, Aisha."

"Then…!" I half shouted with urgency, causing Eve to step back slightly, shocked. "The middle…! This hole… was there something there before…?"

Eve straightened herself and stared back at me, her expression oddly stoic and eyes reflected my own confused face. "No, Aisha. It had always looked like that…" She trailed off, voice stone cold. Taken aback, I stared at her, dumbfounded. "If that is all, I will see you in the classroom." She finished, almost mechanically, before turning her back to me and walking briskly into the school.

It was not until a few minutes later that I regained my composure. Perhaps she was angry I asked about the design? I shook my head and began walking slowly into the school, slightly scared and terribly confused.

* * *

I had my arms crossed and weight on one of my legs while the other dangled lightly atop the red dirt. I watched as that person did a turn and held up an arm. The skies instantly turned black and fire rained down onto the red cliffs that surrounded us. The cold mountain air instantly burned with a warm heat as that person jumped in the air, naively happy the spell worked.

I felt my lips curl up into a sneer as I opened my mouth and soundless words escaped them. That person instantly turned to me, expression dropping into playful anger. That person's mouth opened and words I could not hear were spat out.

My smirk persisted as I moved my body, shifting weights. I laughed, feeling a sense of pride and playfulness evoke from deep within. That person's actions and composure, everything about that person, made my heart beat and emotions rise with excitement. I gripped onto cold metal, instantly feeling my hip's weight lessen. I gripped the handle and swung it into the dirt, releasing the same blazes from the earth. It ran towards the cliffs and spread, the heat waving up and surrounded us.

I turned to that person and my sneer continued. That person just crossed arms and pouted back, the crimson necklace dangling atop that person's clothes shimmered and reflected the light from the blazes.

* * *

I heard a loud slam before I instantly sprung up, feeling dazed. A large hand rested on top of my desk, slathered with books and notes. Following the hand, my eyes traced it back to the face of my teacher, with an angry look in her eyes.

"Aisha… how dare you sleep in my class…?" _That wasn't a question…._ I swallowed hard, squirming under her blazing gaze. I looked over to Rena and Eve for help, but the two only looked back at me apologetically. My heart sank and I could feel myself shiver with ugly premonition.

_Oh…. Crap…_

_..._

I swung my legs freely, enjoying the light breeze that blew by us. Sitting up on the ledge of the gym, I watched as Rena stretched. Eve stood beside us, unmoving. I stared at her, remembering how she acted this morning. After class, she talked with us and joked with us like the normal Eve, as if the questioning this morning had not occurred at all.

Eve turned towards me, noticing my stare. "What is it, Aisha?" She tilted her head, confused.

I felt my body leap slightly at her sudden question, flustered. My mouth began to move and my voice came out staggering. "A…ah… Um…."

Rena's loud laugh broke the atmosphere, bellowing and echoing through the gym. She straightened her back and posed a striking stance, her long ponytail whipping in the air. "Alright, my turn!" She yelled, running up to the other crowd of students performing balancing and cartwheels on the other side of the gym. It was the gymnastics unit and all the students gathered at the gym to do their tests.

Rena jumped into the air and did a summersault in the air before landing hard onto the mat below, making parts of the map jump up from the impact. She followed through with a sweeping kick before cartwheeling to the end, hopping over the bars and obstacles like a feather gliding through the wind. As she finished, she landed on her feet and arms waved in the air, greeting the applause that exploded throughout the gym.

I stood up and applauded with Eve beside me, proud of our friend's athletic poise. As she approached me, she laughed bashfully. "Haha, that was fun!"

Next up, was Elsword. His crimson hair waved lightly as he walked towards the starting point. The three of us stared, waiting.

I broke the silence between us as the teacher gave Elsword instructions. "So, Elsword's pretty athletic, too." I stated, remembering how he always ran about when we were kids.

Eve turned to me, her face puzzled. I stared back at her, with equal confusion due to the lingering silence between us. Rena reached behind her head and rested her neck on her hands. She hooked her leg in front of the other and rested on the wall. "…who?"

"What…?" My head whipped towards Rena, horrified and confused. "What did you…. Just say?"

Rena gave a small laugh, then winked at me playfully. "I was just kidding…!"

A sense of relief washed over my body as I let out a quick sigh. Rena continued teasingly, "Elsword's always kind of quiet. I didn't know you knew so much about him when you two never talked."

"Huh?"

...

I was called out on a Friday evening. A note was placed on my desk when I came back after lunch, saying to meet that person by the large tree right outside the school at dawn. I waited until then, wasting time in the school library reading. When the sun began to set, I set out to meet this mysterious person.

As I approached the large tree, I could see a skinny figure, leaning against the tree. When he noticed me approaching, he stood up straight and looked at me. His eyes were crimson red and hair a matching fire red. I nodded my head at him as I approached, smiling softly.

"This note…" the crumbled piece of paper in my hands rustled in the wind as I brought it up. "It's from you?"

The boy nodded, his face twisted in a complex frown.

"Aisha…" He whispered my name. My heart skipped a beat at hearing such a nostalgic voice.

"You're…" I began, looking uneasily at the boy. "Elsword, right? You don't talk a lot in class, but I recognized you right away. That hair color and eyes really do stand out." I laughed, putting the note back into my book bag before looking back at him.

His eyes glazed over for an instance, before life returned to them and he reached in his pockets and pulled out a small orb. It had the same purple-red color as the necklace I wore and shone a brilliant red when he brought it up to the light. My eyes widened, mesmerized by the glow. I could not peel my eyes away from it as the light reached out to me, as if greeting me after a long parting.

Elsword's eyes sparked with determination as reached his hand out, holding out the orb to me. "Don't you remember it, Aisha? This… is supposed to be one with your necklace."

I stared at the orb, just small enough to fit in the hole in the center of the bird. I felt my hand slowly reach for it, wishing and longing for this nostalgic piece. Suddenly, my head began to hurt as I fell to my knees. The pain surged throughout my body as Elsword's words slowly weaved between floods of piercing sound. "Ai… You al…. sha?"

...

I quickly glanced up, as if waking from a sudden dream. There, stood a boy with red hair and matching worried red eyes, staring straight at me. What peculiar colors… His hair reflected the golden dusk and matched the setting backdrop.

When I finally snapped out of my daze, I quickly stood up again, laughing sheepishly. "S-sorry… Um… who are you again?"

It was the most painful experience I have ever felt. My heart ached as I watched him bring his hand up to his face and back slowly arched down. His eyes shut tight and lips sealed into a despairing frown. I watched in confusion and surprise as he attempted to hold back his emotions and what I thought would have been tears.

For some reason, the same pain surged through my heart.

"No…" He whispered, almost falling to his knees. "Aisha… your fragments…"

"Fragments…?" unexplainably, the words escaped my lips. "Oh… um… Are you ok?!"

That was all I could muster, confused as to how and why this was happening. I felt my heart tear into pieces as I watched him suffer… Yet, I don't know him…

He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into a tight embrace. The shock made me jump and my bag fell from my arms. I could feel his breath on my neck, his shaking arms around my body and a familiar warmth that resonated with my sinking heart.

I didn't hate it… the fact he suddenly hugged me… despite the fact that I didn't know him, I also felt so familiar and warm near him… like a blazing fire.

His grip suddenly tightened around my body. A sudden pain struck my mind, bashing at my skull from the inside. My mouth opened to scream, yet no sound escaped. "Fight it!" He yelled, holding me tightly. "Trust me, Aisha… piece together your fragments again…!"

I felt weak and sick. I felt the urge to vomit and the headache worsened as my vision began to blur. In between the waving sounds, I heard his voice reach out to me and his warm body against my own. _Trust me…!_ I weakly reached up, gripping his clothes with all the strength I could muster. My mind waved between conscious and unconscious and what felt like dreams and memories began to blend. With a raspy voice, I pushed out the words, "Elsword…"

* * *

...

A blinding purple light from Aisha's necklace and matching red light from Elsword's fist pierced and shattered the school backdrop into nothingness. The surrounding black and blue void welcomed the two, wrapping them in its emptiness. The brown and navy school costumes began to fade into white and purple robes. The purple-red phoenix necklace fell back onto the robes, as if they had always been there. Elsword's matching clothes disintegrated into a black, red and white as his armor returned. An invisible marble floor emerged beneath their feet as the two collapsed onto their knees on the floor.

Elsword opened his eyes and looked down at Aisha, worried and scared. His heart ached, that Aisha had to suffer such pain and to also bear the despair of his beloved forgetting him. He gently brought his hand up to her face and cupped her cheek, feeling her cold skin pierce his hands.

Aisha's eyes slowly fluttered open, glancing up as amethyst eyes met crimson. She let out a soft smile, the same smile she always gives him when they meet. "Elsword… I'm alive…" She weakly chokes, coughing lightly yet still smiling.

The crimson boy nodded, a sad smile crossed his lips. He held onto her tightly, burying his face into her hair as he trembled and tears silently streamed down his face. "Yes, Aisha… You are…"

It was all like a dream. Elsword, Aisha, Rena, Eve, Raven and Chung all left to challenge Henir's Time and Space, vowing to destroy the monsters and seal the cracks in space-time. The battle was intense as member after member slowly fell with severe injuries. All that was left as they opened the last door in the swirling darkness, was Elsword and Aisha.

The familiar dark shadow approached them, hiding behind a black haze. His while hair drifted as the haze blew it about. He reached his arm across, pointing at the two, beckoning them to come forward. "Finally… I will have my revenge…"

Elsword unsheathed his sword and Aisha gripped her staff, both readying their spells to strike down Ran. Not too far off sat the administer, Glaive. He chuckled as he watched the two struggle against their foe, a blue block glowing faintly and floating above his upturned palm. "What new surprises will you show me this time, Elsword…"

The battle started when Aisha fired her first stream of meteor shower. Ran dodged the falling fire and dashed up to Elsword with unmatchable speed. Elsword slashed at the enemy, who immediately turned into a black mist as his sword was about to make contact. Behind him, he heard Aisha's shrill scream as Ran appeared just as quickly as he vanished and blew Elsword across space.

Ran turned to Aisha, bringing his arm up and black mist surrounded his hand, materializing into a black sword. As he was about to charge at the mortified Aisha, fire erupted from under him, scorching his body. Elsword panted, holding down his sword into the marble ground and crimson eyes glaring at the burning Ran.

He merely chuckled before waving his hands and the fire dissipated. As the final flames disappeared, the look in Elsword's eyes reflected fear, despair and anxiety. He felt cold sweat trickle down the side of his face and body froze in pose just as Ran's sword pierced Aisha's frail body. His eyes shook with anger yet frozen with disbelief as Ran threw her body across, crashing into the marble floor.

When the realization had dawned on Elsword, his screams were already not of his own. His spirit separated from his body as flaming red air erupted from around him. His very being has left his eyes as they glazed over. He could no longer control his body and consciousness faded, with his last wishes to 'destroy Ran. Destroy all.'

In his unconscious state, his mind drifted from memory to memory of Aisha and him as children, growing up in a world littered with battles and war. He remembered his sister, and his vow to become stronger than her. He remembered meeting Aisha, meeting Rena, and finding the rest of their party. Finally, when Aisha and Elsword both agreed to take up magic as their main discipline, Elsword gave Aisha a necklace that represented their bond. He vowed to himself, that after their journey ends, that he will take Aisha's hand and walk down that hall and call her his own.

When he awoke, he was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar world. No one remembered him; his friends that he once knew now live with drastically different roles in this peaceful world. He finally found Aisha, but was wary of her. He knew that the Raven and Chung that spoke to him was not the real Raven and Chung he fought with. He noticed how Rena and Eve responded with changed attitudes. However, the most painful realization was the possibility of Aisha not being the real Aisha. Knowing this, he avoided her, but kept the orb, part of Aisha's necklace which appeared in his hands when he woke up, close to him. He wished and hoped every night as he held the orb in his hands, that he could return to his world, to find that his Aisha was still alive, and they could return to those peaceful days together again.

It was Glaive who reached out to Elsword first. As he turned his back to the three that afternoon and returned to the school, his head began to ache and a quiet voice entered his mind. Glaive's deep voice chuckled at Elsword's confusion before explaining the workings of time and space to him.

As Ran was about to be defeated, he pierced through time-space and ripped a tear in the vital streams of the universe. The tear created a vortex and a new world was born, fusing Elsword and Aisha into its birth. However, the transgression from one space to another ripped apart their very memories, fragmenting their mind. The world imbued new roles into them, replacing the lost memories with newly created shards that stole more and more of their mind. Reality and dream fused as the newly created memories flooded their reality. The shredded memories overlapped and fused, leaving Aisha with Elsword's memories and Elsword with Aisha's… or so it was supposed to…

Due to Elsword's Awakening, Elsword's mind escaped from the body, and thus only minor memories were ripped from his soul and found their host in Aisha. Elsword was able to retain most of his memories and reality when his spirit fused with his body in the new world. It was also because of that strong connection with the real world, was Glaive able to find a thin string of connection to speak with Elsword. However, that string was not nearly strong enough to pull them back.

Receiving the terrible news, Elsword was lost in contemplation. With no known way to return, Elsword fell into deep depression, fearful of this new world and terribly afraid of Aisha losing her memories of him. He begged Glaive for a solution, but Glaive's reply was merely a chuckle.

As Glaive's voice began to fade, his final words gave Elsword hope. "…A person cannot exist without the memories of him. Similarly, a person can be created if those memories are born."

...

The familiar chuckle echoed as footsteps approached the two. Elsword looked up, still holding onto Aisha. His eyes were complacent and strong arms unmoving. Without distant eyes, he mumbled his name. "Glaive…"

Glaive began to clap, applauding the two with cynical sarcasm. "Welcome back." He stopped, folding his arms behind his back. "So I see you found a way, after all…. Or was it…" He bent down and traced his fingers on Aisha's necklace, now fully complete with the orb tuck in the middle. "Ah, a momento."

Elsword slapped Glaive's arm away from Aisha, growling at him quietly as fight returned to his eyes. Aisha smiled weakly, her eyes foggy. "Feisty." Glaive teased, straightening his back. "But nonetheless, an object of memory is the most solid form a memory can take. To be able to bring out the emotions connected with the object, you were able to invoke even the last of her memories… your name."

Glaive chuckled as Elsword barked out his words. "You were watching!"

"Of course." He turned his back to the two and paced towards a bright slash that pierced the void, shining weakly in mid space. "So close… even a second later, her soul would have died along with her memories."

Elsword's eyes widened, shocked by the sudden news. He quickly glanced back down at her, noticing her pale cheeks and near lifeless eyes. "Have you not noticed? She has fainted and fallen into deep slumber countless times in that world… all due to the forced transformation it pushed onto her." He inspected the crack, tilting his head as its glow weakened even more. "Such a barbaric exit… If her memories did not return, I wonder how this world would have adapted…" As he finished, the slash sealed back into the empty void space they existed in, sealing the world into nothingness.

Elsword's eyes trailed back down to Aisha, feeling a sense of guilt for destroying a world in such a simple manner. Aisha looked up, understanding Elsword's pain. The Rena and Eve that existed in that world were not her real friends in the real world, but they existed and lived. They fought to stay alive, even if it meant destroying her own being. She raised a hand and touched Elsword's cheek lightly, giving him a reassuring smile.

Glaive shook his head as he walked back to the two, his steps echoing loudly. "I'm sick of watching the two of you. My boredom was only lifted for a mere few days before you shattered my fun, along with that fake world." He brought his hands out towards the two, his sneer behind his mask so evident in his words. "Now return. I don't want to see you anymore, you sicken me."

In a bright light, the two vanished, leaving not even a single trace of their existence in Henir's Time and Space. Glaive sighed heavily, looking up into nothingness as a bright light sparked and a star emerged amongst the many, distant flashing glows. "And another was created… Perhaps you shall ease my boredom for even a little while."

* * *

When I awoke, I felt pain all through my limbs. Uncomfortably, I stretched and my bones cracked under the newly added stress. The light penetrated into my room but my body felt too heavy to move. I slowly reached my hand up to the necklace still around my neck, feeling every fine cut and design before smiling to myself. Yup, the jewel orb is still there.

A small knock came from outside my door. My heart jumped slightly as excitement filled me. Could it be?

"Come in."

I sat up, anxious to see the flaming hair and matching eyes peek into my room. The usual, goofy smile plastered across his lips. He stepped in quietly, making his way to my bed slowly. I could barely keep the vortex of emotions inside me from bursting out, tearing my body. Relief, excitement, embarrassment, joy… all counter emotions to the negativity that surrounded me for the last few days.

"Aisha… How are you feeling?" He sighed gently, kneeing down to eye level with me and placing his gloved hand on my own. My smile erupted naturally and I could feel my cheeks heat up slightly. I nodded my head, unable to speak out the words. He laughed sheepishly and placed his other hand on my cheek. The warm and nostalgic feeling returned as I felt my heart tickle with excitement. My face felt warmer as my eyes softened.

"Welcome back, Aisha." He whispered my name sweetly as his face inched near mine. My eyes closed when I felt his breath on my skin and his hands shake lightly. Our lips met for merely an instant before he pulled back. The warm and loving sensation burned itself though my lips to my heart as I felt it skip loudly against my chest. He knocked his forehead against mine gently and brushed some hair off my face. I could see how red his face had gotten, probably matching the same shade as my own. He smiled gently as his eyes watched mine, and I replied with a small giggle and a broad smile.

The light from my window reached the two of us, embracing us with warmth. The purple-red necklace captured the light and released its bright red glow, as if celebrating our remnants, pieced together again.

END

Remnant (n.) 1. A remaining, usually small part, quantity, number, or the like. 2. A fragment or scrap. 3. A small, unsold, or unused piece of cloth, lace, etc., as at the end of a bolt. 4. A trace, vestige: _remnant of former greatness. _

Amaranthine (adj.) 1. Of or like amaranth. 2. Unfading; everlasting: _a woman of amaranthine loveliness._ 3. Of purple-red color.

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Azure: Hello everyone! This is my super long one-shot that is (quite rarely) hetero! (Ya, I usually write yaoi…) But when I was explaining a story I had in mind to my guild leader, he asked me straight out, "Is there RSxEM?!" and I just told him straight out, I'll write one for him!

How did this turn out so AU at the same time canon-ish?! I actually don't know. I was planning this story after my final on the bus, and it started with random ideas that mashed into one. (Except for that Rena-Elsword -Aisha idea… I just scrapped that) I love AU's, and if anyone reads any of my other stories, you can totally tell I do. I also am still in love with the "school-AU" ideas I had before (especially for Toki wo Koete no Kizuna), and just would not let it go. So at the end it all fused into one giant story about Henir's Time and Space…

It must have started out SUPER weird for some readers, since it flashed around and nothing seemed to make sense. It was purposely written to be fragmented and choppy with constant changes ADD style (no puns intended) because of the 'dream/reality' sequence Aisha was going through as her mind was being torn apart. The writing also starts off SUPER detailed, then slowly as she progresses, becomes less and less detailed. This was done on purpose because of how she is losing grip on reality. (That is partially a lie- it's 4:16 am right now and I just didn't feel like writing out every single part with such detail, but at the end it all worked out.)

The original idea was to have Elsword's awakening tear a hole in timespace. That was scrapped for Ran's doing because he made his way into Henir's Time and Space in the first place, I can see him screwing up as he leaves. I also originally wanted Glaive to push Elsword and Aisha into the vortex into the AU world because he's so damn bored, but circumstantial situation worked itself out the way it did apparently. Also, I find Glaive to be a very sad character with a very sad story that twisted his personality… so he definitely is my favourite in this story.

I'm sorry for the whole 'revealing the truth' to be so bland as I told everyone how and what happened. This was partially due to this fic turning out to be 13 pages on word without double space and at 11 font, and because it's 4:16 am. (4:19 now) so yes, it's due to laziness… and if I really went through the whole part in Elsword's POV (which would have been my preferred choice), this would no longer be a oneshot but a short novel. (I estimate around 20 some pages… so I exaggerated, but you know…) It's also my first time writing a mystery-type! It ended up kind of horror-like when she began losing her memories and people around her started going Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni on her (without pulling out knives)… and that was not my intention. Half the time, these characters wrote themselves.

I also have to do a quick shout-out to Kamen Rider Den-O for giving me the idea of memories creating a person. Without that to tie in the whole story, this would have fallen apart FAST.

A quick bit about the name… The title was chosen with a LOT in mind. The themes revolved around fragmented memories and that was shown through writing style, paragraphing, segmenting, word choice and character change. Amaranthine, being a color of purple-red and being of 'an imaginary flower', was crucial for me and I was ecstatic when I looked up the word to find it matched so perfectly. The original idea was to call it "Fragments of Amaranthine", and yes, it's based on "Hiiro no Kakera"- Fragments of Crimson… because Azure is unoriginal… but I chose Remnant instead at the end because of how it can be use… "A remnant of former (blank)", which also signifies "last piece of a lost (something)", resounding better with the story than 'fragment'.

The divisions were used very specifically and with purpose. The normal line divisions resonate from dream to 'reality', while the '...' were skips in time (or was it really time? Did her time really move in real time? HMMM?). When I did the line division with '...', it was supposed to signify severe change, in perspective or reality.

There's a lot more I want to talk about, but let's just end it here. Thank you for reading, everyone! I truly appreciated it. If there are any PLOTHOLES, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Tell me! Again, it's my first time writing a mystery-type and this was definitely one of my longest one-shots.

Take care!

-Azure


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